The 2 faces of Martha

Stewart at the press conference; goofing on an old modeling photo in the "Martha" open. (Click to enlarge any photo. Taken off a TV monitor, in case it wasn't obvious.)

My favorite part of this morning's double-dip press conference at Martha Stewart's new TV studio -- she was promoting both her daytime syndicated show and "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" -- was when she was answering a question and turned to Mark Burnett, the reality titan who's producing both, and said, "What's that word you use, Mark -- fun?"

There, there.  I know Martha knows from fun. Still, it took a videotape of her serving shakes and hot dogs at a popular New York City walkup stand to prove that she was going to try pushing out of her comfort zone and making herself into that more down-to-earth personality that seems to be required of every big time American TV star. As for the press conference, it was strictly business, the lines rehearsed, the spontaneity forced.

We got to see the opens for both "Martha" (the daytime show) and "Martha Stewart: The Apprentice" (theme song: "Sweet Dreams" by Eurythmics). And, obviously, we got to see the TV studio where "Martha" will be shot (more pictures on the jump page). One thing is clear -- Mark Burnett has planned a daytime show that is every bit as high powered as its host. I doubt it will remind anybody of her old daytime show, which was notable for its dead air and slow pacing (and, lest we forget, very decent Nielsen ratings).

So Miss Stewart, what will "The Apprentice" be like? "Businesslike." Any plans to talk about your jail time in either show? "I may talk about it, I may not." (Although later it was revealed that on the second day of her show, every member of the studio audience will be wearing a poncho that they crocheted based on the pattern of the one she wore when leaving prison. And that on day three, over 100 women named Martha Stewart, ages 12 to 80, will be in the audience.)

There was a revealing exchange involving Martha, Burnett, and  daughter Alexis Stewart, who along with Charles Koppelman (chairman of MSL Omnimedia) will be at the host's elbows on "The Apprentice." I think they're setting Alexis up to be the hardass on the show. Want proof? Burnett and Martha were joshing about how hard it was to come up with a Martha version of "You're fired" (which of course, they didn't reveal to us). The domestic diva, somewhat improbably, offered that "I don't think I've ever said You're fired to anybody."

Just then Alexis, who'd been quiet up to that point, said tartly, "Even when you should have."

O-kayyyyy.

Back to the whole prison thing. In the opening to "Martha," we saw not only pictures of the host with her mom and daughter, but a brief clip of her being led out of the Manhattan courthouse where she was found guilty of obstructing justice relating to her imClone insider trading deal. Somebody asked what that jarring bit of video was doing in an otherwise feelgood clip.

That, Stewart said, was about "reality. Accessibility. People are used to seeing me like that for the last year. ... We're not going to avoid things."

Comments

[Aaron Barnhart]

I asked Bill Brioux of the Toronto Sun, who was there, for his take on Martha. "She seemed a bit warmer in person but her answers got shorter as the session wore on. This will be a tense set, I believe. Her daughter scared me. Brrrrr!"